Senior Spaceplane Systems Engineer

Dawn Aerospace; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Dawn Aerospace in New Zealand is seeking an experienced Systems Engineer to take ownership of vehicle functions and lead multi-disciplinary engineering decisions across propulsion, structures, avionics, GNC, software, operations, and certification.

You will shape the system architecture, verification approaches, and safety cases while mentoring engineers and delivering credible evidence for reliability and certification in a fast-moving spaceplane program.

Qualifications

• Experience in systems engineering for complex aerospace or safety-critical systems.
• Ownership of system functions, including requirements, architecture, interfaces, and verification.
• Experience with qualification and reliability demonstration of structural, mechanical, electrical, or avionics systems.
• FHA, FTA, CCA, or reliability engineering knowledge.
• Environmental qualification testing, including test requirements and profiles.
• Flight test, vehicle integration, verification, and validation.
• Experience with aircraft, spacecraft, launch vehicles, or unmanned systems.

Responsibilities

• Take end-to-end ownership of one or more vehicle functions or systems.
• Define functional behaviour, requirements, architecture, interfaces, and verification approaches.
• Drive technical decisions and collaborate with propulsion, structures, avionics, GNC, software, operations, and certification teams.
• Establish verification plans and support execution across development lifecycle.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship within functional areas.
• Lead FHA for assigned areas and develop system-level safety requirements.
• Perform or contribute to FTA, CCA, and other safety activities.
• Support development of safety cases and certification evidence.
• Translate FHA safety objectives into practical verification activities.
• Develop qualification and environmental test programmes from expected use.
• Lead qualification and reliability demonstration activities.
• Ensure reliability is designed into systems from outset with robust evidence.
• Assist in establishing approaches for qualification and reliability across the program.

Skills

Systems engineering

Ownership of system functions

Qualification & reliability

FHA/FTA/CCA

Environmental testing

Flight test & verification

Aerospace safety-critical

Job description

Dawn Aerospace in New Zealand is seeking an experienced Systems Engineer to take ownership of vehicle functions and lead multi-disciplinary engineering decisions across propulsion, structures, avionics, GNC, software, operations, and certification.

You will shape the system architecture, verification approaches, and safety cases while mentoring engineers and delivering credible evidence for reliability and certification in a fast-moving spaceplane program.